An outlaw's tale
by ImagingThings
Summary: The story of how Will's cousin Kate Scarlett joined the Gang! AllanOC implied WillDjaq!


An outlaw's tale

She'd forgotten her name! Her family! Living wild in the great woods for, God knew how long. She had no idea where she came from or where she was heading. Days went by in a blur. Nothing changed. Hunger a faithful companion.

Something was moving in the wood. She was not alone. They'd come for her!

"Leave me alone!" she was unarmed but she didn't care.

"Kate? Kate! It's really you! Your parents think you're dead!" One of the men was talking to her. Kate? Was that her name? Could it really be? Staring at the person who'd spoken, she finally realized who it was and remembered who she was.

"Will! I… I've no idea what happened! It's all gone!" safe at last, the fear there'd followed her took over. Tears started to fall!

"Kate! It's okay… you're safe! Come! Back to the camp! We've enough food!"

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" the other person had been silent until now.

"Allan! It's my cousin! We can trust her!"

Kate followed her cousin and the other guy, Allan was his name, towards the camp Will had spoken about. Camp? What camp?

"Will! Who's that?"

"It's my cousin, Kate! Robin that she survived is a miracle! We heard she'd been died some weeks before you returned!"

"Well… that's _months _ago!"

"Maybe our guest is hungry!"

"I think you're right Much!"

When food was ready Kate sat down and ate with the others. At first it seemed like even though she was starved be belly wasn't ready for food but slowly her appetite returned. While they ate Will told her who the others were.

"Will… I don't understand! What're you doing here? Where's your parents and Luke?"

"My mother's dead!"

"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry! I forgot!"

"No it's okay! As for what I'm doing here… Luke, Benedict and I were arrested for stealing floor! Robin tried to get us out but… well… we were about to be hanged! Robin stopped it and the four of us ran out here!"

"Hanged! For stealing floor! Wait a second! Neither Luke nor Benedict are here!"

"Allan was hanged too… and… Much was with Robin!"

"But… where's your father and Luke? Still living in Locksley?"

"No! They fled to Scarborough. To Aunt Annie!"

That night Kate dreamed about great floods covering her. A dream there'd followed her ever since… since what?

"Slept well?"

"Yeah… okay…" she didn't want to tell about her dream! Surely it would stop, someday!

"We're taking a day off! Down at the riverside!"

Kate followed the others towards the river. When she saw the raging waters every memory came back.

"Kate! What's wrong?"

"Mike! He slipped and fell! The stream took him! I had to… had to save him! Couldn't… get up…"

"When? Do you remember when?"

"Winter! It was winter! There was snow! The water was freezing!"

"Winter! But… we'd been living in the wood trough this winter and you seemed like you haven't heard of us… or about Will and Luke almost getting hanged!"

"No! It was last year we heard the news that Kate had died! Drowned in the river!"

Slowly Kate understood just for how long she'd been living wild. Could it really be?

"More than a year! You've been living in the wood, alone, for more than a year!"

"Yeah… it seems so… I… need to be alone! To think!"

She ventured a little away from the waters, not far, just so she couldn't see or hear the water. For over a year her parents had believed her to be dead. How could she have forgotten everything?

"Are you okay?"

"Oh… I didn't see you coming! Of course not! My eyes were closed! It's… Djaq… right?"

"Yes! It's Djaq! You seem a little… sad!"

"It's just… my parents… they think I'm dead! Have thought so for more than a year! I… don't know how I forgot everything! Why I didn't just go home! I know the riverside so well… I could've followed it back home! But I didn't… I… must've run away from the river! Not knowing who I was!"

"I think the reason why you didn't follow the river is the same as why you don't want to be by the water now! Water scares you now, don't it?"

"Yeah… it does! But why did I forget? I only remembered who I was when Will spoke my name!"

"Maybe you hit your head!"

Maybe! Hadn't there been blood dripping from her head when she climbed up from the river? Not knowing anymore who she was?

"Yes! I think I did! I… think I remember all that happened… everything… There was a trunk across the river. Mike, by brother went to the other shore while Jane, that's my sister, and I stayed where we were! On the way back he slipped and fell into the river! I didn't think and just jumped into the water! I was able to get him to Jane but I couldn't get up myself… I did not dare to let her help me, I was afraid she'd fall in too… the stream took me and… everything went black… that must be when I hit my head! The next I remember is awakening on the shore! And… that's the strange thing… because I know that when I awoke I couldn't remember who I was… I just ran away… lived in the wood… until yesterday! I wish I could go home… but… I don't think I can!"

"No! I'm afraid you can't! But… how would you like staying here? If you want!"

"If I may! Then I would like to! I guess I've been as good as an outlaw all this time anyway!"

"Here! Take this!" Kate had been living with the gang for some time when Robin came back from a trip to the town with a bundle of something he tossed towards her.

"What is it?"

"New clothes! Your own ones are pretty shagged! Well… take them on!"

"Yeah…" she went behind some bushes and took on the clothes; it was simple but still far better than the rags she'd been wearing before that.

"Here… Will told me you're a good shot!"

"Yeah… fairly good!" she took the bow Robin held towards her, put an arrow on the string, aimed and shot.

"Fairly good! What is it with you Scarletts? I guess Will is a "fairly good carpenter" then!"

Maybe! Or maybe Kate just knew she was terrible in many other things.

She'd followed them to Nottingham for the first time. In the beginning they'd leave her in the camp. Not, as they said, because they didn't trust her but simply because she needed time before being close to so many people again. Those six were all she could handle. The guards had seen them and they ran as fast as they could. Kate had always been quick but she could sense the soldiers gaining on her. Something hit her arm.

"Get in here!" someone seized her and pulled her into a small niche in the wall. After some time she realized who it was, Allan.

"Thanks!" why did she have difficulties standing? Why did her arm feel like something apart from her?

"Kate! What's wrong?"

"My arm… it burns! I think I was hit with something!"

When they looked at her arm they soon found the reason for the burning. Her sleeve was covered in blood where she'd felt the hit but:

"I thought blood was red! Not… black!"

"Poison! Kate, don't faint! Stay conscious!"

"Look… you have to leave me! It's… too risky for me to try and get away!"

"I'm not leaving you here! The soldiers will kill you! They saw you with us!"

Why was her throat so dry? And why couldn't she use her arm? Of course! She'd been close to dead… Allan had saved her! Refused to leave her at the castle!

"Are you thirsty?" he was sitting beside her makeshift bed. Looking worried at her. And… she really was thirsty but when she tried to speak her throat was too dry and when she tried to nod she felt too weak.

"Here… let me help!" he held an arm behind her back and lifted a little while he held the water down her throat. As she drank she slowly felt the strength returning.

"Tha… thank you!"

"No reason!" as she laid back he stroke her cheek softly. Why did her heart leap by it? What was it her parents used to say? "You can't run from love forever Kate!" Was this it? Love?

"Kate! You need to sleep!"

Something had changed. In Kate's heart a strange empty space was slowly filled by her feelings for a certain troublemaking person. And she was pretty sure he was feeling the same way.

"You're in love Kate! Aren't you?"

"Are you Djaq?" she had gone with Djaq to collect berries and other forms of wild greens. They had become rather good friends, being able as they were to discuss things the boys were ignorant to. When they had filled their baskets they returned to the camp where a surprise was waiting for Kate.

A young sandy-haired boy was talking to Will, at first Kate didn't recognize the boy, who had his back to her, but then he turned, and raced over to Kate, seizing her around the wrist.

"Kate! Oh Kate! You saved my life and we all thought you were dead and mum and dad was really, really sad and then they decided to go to Aunt Annie because families should stick together and then we met Will and he told you were alive and…" finally loosing his breath he buried his face to her chest.

"It's okay Mickey! It's okay!"

The next second she was being held by her parents and Jane who all wanted to touch her.

"Kate! Why didn't you let me help you up?"

"I was scared Jane! Afraid you'd fall in too! They shore was slippery!"

They agreed to stay in the camp overnight, the next morning Kate would follow her parents to Scarborough. When it was time to sleep both Mike and Jane insisted to sleep beside Kate as they had always done before the accident.

"Kate! Can you help us reload the cart?"

It was only a small cart, no horses so it had to be either pulled or pushed my man force but Kate knew her parents had all their belongings in it. While she was helping her parents, very silent as not to wake the others, she realized that they were being watched. He stood besides a tree looking at her. Slowly she walked over to him.

"Are you mad at me for leaving?"

"No! I shouldn't be! I mean… I'm glad you've been reunited with your family!"

"I'm sure we'll meet again! When all this is over!" she turned and began walking back to her parents.

"Kate… wait… I… here… take this!" it was a dagger, simple but Kate could see that it was good. "It was my brother's! I'd like you to have it! So you won't forget me!"

"I'll never ever forget you!"

When it was time to leave the entire camp came out and said goodbye. Then Kate started to walk slowly besides the cart.

They'd been walking for hours and the sun had slowly begun its detour, when they reached the borders of the wood. Kate turned to blow a last goodbye to her friends when a lot of things sprang into her mind. He'd saved her. Refused to leave her as the castle when she'd been hit by a poisoned arrow. He'd made her aware of love.

"What am I doing?" without hesitation she started to run back towards the camp. She'd realized at last where she belonged, not in Scarborough with her parents and siblings but in the wood with the outlaws. Because she'd been walking slowly with her parents the other way and now was running the fastest she could it only took her half the time to reach the camp as it had taken them the reach the border of the wood, so she came back just as they were about to eat.

"Am I late for dinner?"

They all turned towards her when she spoke, then Allan rose and before she could blink he was holding her.

"You're back!"

"You don't have to tell…" more she never got to say before he pressed his lips to hers, slowly she answered the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck only vaguely aware that the others were starring at them.

"Hey! Let the poor girl breathe!" it was Robin's laughing voice there finally broke them apart. Smiling they went over and said down beside the fire.

"What made you come back Kate? I don't suppose I got the entire honour!"

"No… just a great part of it! I realized that I belong here! Guess it would've been too difficult for me living "civilized" places again anyway! But still… I don't think I would've returned if it wasn't for you!"

Instead of answering he pulled her closer towards her and once again Kate remembered her parents' words "You can't run from love forever Kate!" Well; she had finally stopped running!

6


End file.
